Verstappen Sainz Worry More for Rallying Fathers

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz express greater concern for their fathers’ safety in rallying than their own.

Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen share something in common: their fathers are high-level racers.

Carlos Sainz Sr. even continues to race and shine regularly at the Dakar, despite being 62 years old!

Just as a father worries about his son when he gets behind the wheel, does the son also worry about the father?

“Yes, I feel more danger for my father than for myself!” confirms Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari driver.

“Also, because he is 62 years old and has already taken so many risks in his life… I keep telling him, why do you continue to come and go when you could be at home playing golf with me, or spending time with my mom? And he continues to want to do this Dakar and these two or three rallies a year and there is no chance we can convince him otherwise.”

“To be able to tame or calm my father, I think it’s good for him to go do his thing for three or four weeks a year, especially the Dakar. You know, it’s two weeks a year, and he obviously has to prepare. But honestly, I still wonder sometimes… especially for the Dakar, how he does it… These drivers take risks in these rallies, you see some of the accidents, they are impressive. But the safety is also good, which is positive, but yes, I will always feel there is more risk for him than for me.”

“Maybe your mother is happy he does it. She gets some time off!” Max Verstappen replies with a smile.

Max is also scared when his father races in rallies…

Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, although no longer racing at a very high level, has decided to take up rallying again. And Max feels stressed for Jos in these situations…

“Yes, my father started rallying about two or three years ago, so when I see his onboard cameras, I really think he’s in more danger than me.”

Jos Verstappen also had a close call in F1 in 1994, when his Benetton caught fire in the pits at Hockenheim. But today, those traumas seem very distant, as revealed by an anecdote shared by… Carlos Sainz to Max Verstappen.

“At the Bahrain tests, your father was showing my father his accident! So now, they share their accidents and thrilling moments saying, ‘Look, look! What do you think?'”

“Yeah, my father normally likes to tell those stories,” explains Max Verstappen. “But yes, I mean, rallying… I have a lot of respect for the people who do rallying. It’s really impressive.”

Could Max Verstappen therefore not emulate his father and take up rallying?

“For me personally, because of the trees and all that… In Japan, for example, we are usually on a track with walls and everything is designed to withstand an impact. A tree, normally, doesn’t really move. So, yes, I think rallying is a bit more dangerous.”

Sergio Pérez concludes with humor!

“Don’t worry. My father is into politics in Mexico, so I think he’s in even more danger. Don’t worry, guys.”